<Begin Segment 28>

[Translated from Japanese]

TY: Well, as people returned to Seattle, they started rebuilding the community. Their own lives...

YI: Then we celebrated the completion of the new temple. There were many celebrations and parties. We gradually settled down.

TY: Since the new temple was completed just before the war, hardly anybody used it. After people returned, they cleaned the temple all over again...

YI: That's right. We got more people.

TY: What did you do to rebuild the temple?

YI: Temple?

TY: Yes. Since it was newly built and then people returned. So that you could use the temple again?

YI: Temples are big. So when people returned from camp and didn't have a place to stay, they often stayed in temples. But in Seattle people didn't stay in the temple. Instead, the two rented houses were used for that purpose.

TY: There were many families who lost various things when they were evacuated during the war. Many lost their businesses or apartments.

YI: Lost what?

TY: Seattle people who were evacuated lost houses or businesses. Many people lost various things because of the evacuation.

YI: Oh, did they lose things?

TY: And also businesses.

YI: Some people had their kind neighbors watch over their possessions. Those people didn't lose anything. But if you just locked up the house, you would have things stolen.

TY: When they returned, they must have had a hard time looking for jobs and other things.

YI: If you didn't have tools...

TY: Do you remember how things were in those days?

YI: Huh?

TY: When people returned to Seattle, they found things missing or didn't have enough or couldn't find a job. I bet they suffered a lot of hardship.

YI: I guess so. We cooked ohagi at the temple to celebrate the autumn equinox. But apparently the pots' enamel coating was partially peeled off while we were away. The pots produced some poison. As a result, all the people who ate ohagi became nauseous. In my family also, one of my children was coming down from upstairs and threw up. I also heard that a Christian church also used old pots and had food poisoning from ohagi. It is scary. So you shouldn't use really old things. Since we were away for two or three years, rust or something caused it.

TY: Because you used those pots... you had trouble with missing things and also trouble with the things you had. A lot of trouble.

YI: That's right. So we threw them away.

TY: By the way, was there any special services for people who couldn't find a job or for families who didn't have basic stuff?

YI: I wonder how they did. I don't know anybody who was really in trouble. Then, six months or a year later the economy improved greatly. Those who bought hotels enjoyed great success. Financially.

TY: Recovered.

YI: Uh-huh. Recovered. Those who ran hotels in those days were prosperous, I hear.

<End Segment 28> - Copyright © 1999 Densho. All Rights Reserved.